Barcode: Legend of Apollo [Kindle Edition]

Kashif Ross (Author), Roxanne Piskel (Editor), Stephanie Yang (Illustrator)

Book Description

Spencer Colt must return to his last year of Colt Academy--the academic institute for gladiators. The school and arena are run by his father, a wealthy businessman too occupied to remember his son's 19th birthday. Spencer could care less. He's a sarcastic jerk that wants to finish his final year without another person mentioning his destiny, to reunite America.

On his first day back, his family's helicopter plunges nose first into the battlefield. As bloodied and limp bodies are dragged across the stadium, a mysterious boy named Kode emerges.

Spencer hardly has time to show concern for his recovering family members when he and his beautiful nemesis, Michelle Miyamoto, are attacked by a naked and manic Kode. Michelle promises to train with Spencer after they discover the lunatic's intentions, but she has trouble of her own. She must keep the practice a secret for her friendship to survive.

In this world, humans are born with tattoos known as barcodes. The data contains mythological powers that make arena fights very entertaining. Yet, Spencer's codes are different. They seem to draw him into a comforting darkness. It's in this hell that he learns the truth about his corrupt family and how he murdered his mother.


The Barcode Series:

- Legend of Apollo (Book 1)

- Cavern of Youth (Book 2)

- New War Order (Book 3)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kashif Ross is a California grown writer. He's obtained two degrees that most people have never heard of, a bachelor's in Social Ecology and a master's in Gerontology. Initially, he used writing as therapy to block out all of life's stressors. Overtime his hobby evolved into a passion that made his spouse a writer's widow. When he's not devoting every spare minute to his Barcode series, Kashif can be found jamming out on Rock Band, embarking on adventures with manga characters, or outside playing hide-and-seek with the sun.

Product Details

• File Size: 493 KB
• Print Length: 238 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0075MR9X2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,729 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #18 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Upsetting ending.... be aware before buying February 10, 2012

By Knight2584

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I must edit previous review. This book was very well written and edited. If you decide to buy this book expecting a typical fantasy ending, don't bother. Sad and Upsetting ending to this one. Which is understandable from the author's perspective. but I will not water it down I did not like the ending and I will stand by that but I can relate to the mind set of the author of this book. And say that I really enjoyed the first 94% of the story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Action? Check. Romance? Check. Witty? Check! June 5, 2012

By K. Abdul-Aleem

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Before I start this review, I must admit that I am not the most avid read of science fiction. It was never the type of book that I would go for. In spite of this, I really enjoyed the first volume of Barcode. This is a book review, and I don't want to spoil the book for potential readers but I will say this: You will never be bored while reading this book because there is always so much going on and a new concept for you to wrap your mind around. The characters are all dynamic: Kashif very skillfully gives every character a backstory, positive traits, flaws, and just makes them very human. The characters aren't flat in any type of way. You will love just as many characters as you will hate, and your emotions might get a little twisted when you can't decide whether you love or hate a character (I'm looking at you, Kode). The character dynamics were a true winner for me in this book, because the characters are so complex and utterly human that you can resonate with the feelings of each individual. There are also a lot of characters to keep up, and they are by no means flat, and this fact in itself will keep you on your toes, at the edge of your seat (crazy visual there). There is also a lot of action, sometimes it comes from the middle of nowhere and other times you anticipate it. If you are looking for an "easy" read, then this is not the book for you. I say this because you really do have to pay attention while reading this book or else you will miss key points. This book is set in the future, but at times it feels like an alternate universe. The ending was a huge surprise for me, as it isn't what I expected at all, but what's a good book without a huge twist? I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next volume, Cavern of Youth, very soon!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Gods, Blood, and Barcodes February 12, 2012

By Heather Rose

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The world works in mysterious ways. Through a random series of events, and of course the world wide web, that I was introduced to Kashif Ross. Kashif is the author of Barcode: The Legend of Apollo. Normally I would never pick up a book that looked like this one. It is full of violence and gore but there is a story that captivates the reader. Due to the wide variety of things happening in this book I feel that it is great for both males and females. I don't want to seem like I am stereotyping but I feel most men would be drawn in by the fighting aspect and females the love story.

I was personally pulled into this story because of the fact that I have always been interested in the Gods and Mount Olympus. This story takes place in Southern California after WWT in a world where Barcodes have been created to stop all of the war and control the population. The story is filled with Gods, Demigods and mortals, or as Spencer (Apollo) likes to call them, Apes. Spencer is one of the Gods whom happened to be born with Apollo's Barcode. With these Barcodes the towns use their most powerful people as gladiators and they spar for the right to own the territory.

The story starts off with Spencer just getting home from Dubai and being quite the childish ass-monkey. He was a selfish, spoiled, brat that had a lot of growing up to do and in the end he really grew into his power. There was an interesting love triangle with Spencer, Michelle and Hannah because Michelle was but a demigoddess and Hannah was a full goddess. To make it even more fun the two girls were best friends. Nothing like a guy, blood, and sparring to complicate friendships. The other main characters are Leonardo Moreno and Kode Payne.

Of all the characters Kode does the best job at captivating my attention because you never know what he is going to do next. He wears the mask of Tartarus and possesses an insane amount of power. His past is slowly revealed to the reader bit by bit yet never in its entirety. I like the mystery, blood, death, gloom, and hope that surrounds Kode. Mind you he really does his best to hide the hope part which isn't too hard when no one can hear through Tartarus... Or so they think.

Kashif did a fantastic job building strong characters that you can relate to. I find that each of the characters change and grow throughout the course of the book quite smoothly. War has a tendency to change people and with everything these characters go through they make some very believable changes in their personalities. The only part that throws me off a little bit is right near the end when certain people change their loyalties of whom they love and accept as family. Even though I am not a huge fan of the specific events that happen in the last few chapters I do, however, like the creativity that is used with Michelle.

This book is filled with a whole lot imagination mixing in mythology of the Gods into reality of war and it even brings in a little ancient Egyptian beliefs. I like the good mix of everything in this book because it creates a well rounded story. Anyone who like anime would love this book. Even if you are, like me, not an anime fan don't be deceived by the cover because the book is fantastic.

Best Wishes and Happy Reading.

<3 Heather <3

More About the Author

In Short
I am the enemy of gummy bears. I break into their homes and slaughter their women and children. But I'm mostly proud of my candybalism, biting off their heads!

The Long
Most of my friends would say, I'm a sarcastic and brutally honest guy, which you'll see in many of my characters.

I like to let every reader know that my stories might not be for them. My characters are a reflection of people I know. You may not like them at times, but that's what it means to be human. I recommend that you read the reviews and the preview before making your investment.

Bio
I'm is a California grown writer. I obtained two degrees that most people have never heard of, a bachelor's in Social Ecology and a master's in Gerontology. Initially, I used writing as therapy to block out all of life's stressors. Overtime my hobby evolved into a passion that made my wife a writer's widow. When I'm not devoting every spare minute to my Barcode series, I can be found jamming out on Rock Band, embarking on adventures with manga characters, or outside playing hide-and-seek with the sun.

You can find posts about my random thoughts and adventures on my blog: www.kashifross.com.

Still undecided? Looking for more honest reviews from credible reviewers? Check out my Goodreads profile: http://www.goodreads.com/kashifross